An existing apartment building approximately 60 years old was experiencing excessive settlement of over 6″ across the floorplan. The cause was due to proximity of existing slope in which the setback from the edge of slope and depth of existing footing was not adequate. Interior cracks were evident and the property was continuing to sink over time. The problem is to fix this situation within a reasonable budget. Khatri performed the forensic engineering and Earth Systems was the Geotechnical Engineer to study the existing slope condition. Rather than install expensive reinforced concrete piles, which would have surpassed $1.5 Million and broke the owner’s budget, Khatri went with a less expensive option: Helical Piers. The advantage here is not just cost but installation time, and performance characteristics. Helical piers can be “adjusted” should further settlement occur because they are controlled externally using a jacking system. A reinforced concrete pile is essentially “fixed in place” and must rely on skin friction and end bearing to retain it’s position. The cost factor is also huge: Helical piers for this project were able to be installed for approximately $400,000 v. $1.5 Million for grade beam-pile system. Project timeline covered approximately 30 months from forensic engineering through design and permit approval. Construction timeline was completed in 6 months in 2022 and is in place today.

Few people know that the wine rack is designed for earthquake just like an independent structure inside of the restaurant which entailed  a finite element is, lateral design, and foundation anchorage.

Khatri is pleased to be the wine rack structural expert and enjoys these projects.